How to get UChicago students into your restaurant

You're competing with meals students have already paid for, so a small coupon won't move them. First-years have to live in campus housing, campus housing comes with a required meal plan, and the first-year default is unlimited. From week 3, the university also feeds them until midnight four nights a week.

Where they walk

53rd Street has the biggest cluster of restaurants in the neighborhood, with Harper Court just off it. 57th has the bookstores and Medici. The Thai and Mediterranean places are around 55th and 57th. Woodlawn, the dorm that opened in 2020, holds about 1,300 residents.

A student on 53rd is already out for something. Your job is to give them a reason to stop at your door, and make sure they know about it.

What they already paid for

The Unlimited plan is $2,839 a quarter. It is the default for first-years and includes $100 in Dining Dollars that only work on campus. Fourth Meal runs Monday to Thursday, 9 pm to midnight, from week 3. It's dine-in only and on the meal plan. That means a first-year's weekday lunch, dinner and late snack are covered before they leave their room.

Students who live off campus are mostly third and fourth-years, since, per Housing, the first six quarters are spent in campus housing. They can buy one of Dining's voluntary off-campus plans or skip a plan entirely.

Aim at the meals nobody has paid for yet. Late night after midnight is one. Saturday night is another, when Baker and Cathey close at 2:30 pm and Bartlett and Woodlawn at 8:30. Family Weekend, October 16 to 18, is a third. Winter break is the last, from December 13 to January 2, when break housing cost $1,100 in 2024, per the Maroon, with no dining. The calendar for restaurants has every date.

How a 2-for-1 compares

Ten percent off a $12 lunch is $1.20. My bet is that a 2-for-1 is something a student mentions to the person next to them. The second item can also go to a second person, who now knows where you are.

What a 2-for-1 costs you

Take a $10 item and assume your food cost is 30 percent. Swap in your own number. A full-price sale is $10 in, $3 out, $7 gross. A 2-for-1 is $10 in for two items, $6 out, $4 gross. Each redemption gives up $3 of margin. In return, the second item can end up in a second person's hands, and the deal can bring in a student who came in on purpose.

Now the coupon. Ten percent off the same item is $9 in, $3 out, $6 gross. That costs you a dollar each time, and it may not bring in anyone new.

Some students who redeem would have walked in anyway, and on those you give up $3. Pool limits that in two ways. Tell Pool how many spots each window should hold, and each student can use the deal once every 30 days. So the most a window can cost you is its spots times $3. If a Friday gets busier than you planned, Pool can pause the deal for you.

Put it where they look

Students search for things like “cheap eats near UChicago” and “late night food Hyde Park”. Your Instagram reaches people who already follow you, and a sandwich board reaches people already on your block.

Pool, a food deals app for UChicago students, is made for this. A verified student opens it looking for a deal, books a window at your place, shows a pass at the counter, orders two and pays you for one. Pool counts the redemptions. Pool charges restaurants no fee or commission right now, and there is nothing to install. The deals on Pool this quarter are 2-for-1 12 oz açaí bowls at Deep Purpl (from October 8), 2-for-1 subs at Subway 53rd Street, 2-for-1 half chicken plates at Nando's PERi-PERi (from October 8), 2-for-1 Philly sandwiches at B'Gabs Comfort Cafe (from September 30), 2-for-1 jerk or honey wings at Ja' Grill, 2-for-1 Wagyu Steak Frites at Chemistry, 2-for-1 wraps, salads and bowls at Litehouse Whole Food Grill, 2-for-1 chicken shawarma wraps at Cedars, a free refresher with any treat at StruggleBeard Bakery (from September 29), a free third taco or a free drink with a Taco Dinner at 5 Rabanitos, 2-for-1 Indian combo meals at Rajun Cajun (from October 1), 2-for-1 chicken and waffle bites at Dawn A.M. Eatery (from October 1), 2-for-1 lattes at Sweet Drip (from October 1) and 2-for-1 sushi, pizza and more at The Sit Down Café & Sushi Bar (from October 1).

What to run

Pool deals come in two shapes. One is a 2-for-1 on the item you're known for. The other is a free extra with a meal, like a drink, a side or a pastry. Pick the one that costs you least to give and is easiest to say out loud.

Tell Pool how many spots each window should hold, and Pool can pause the deal for you. Pick a number you'd be happy to hit. Start it in the first week of the quarter. Then leave it alone for a month and look at the numbers.